What Was The Role Of Transcendentalism In The 1800's

The American Romanticism grew and thrived in the late 1700’s into the mid 1800’s. The movement promoted emotions, imagination, intellectual thinking and reflection, and individuality. Romanticism opposed strict traditional religion or anything that confined and limited the individual. It was a reaction to the Industrial Revolution and also the Age of Enlightenment of the early 1700’s. The Age of Enlighten, also called the Age of Reason, promoted separation of church and state, and the use of science and logical thinking to answer all of life’s questions or mysteries. It also fought against traditional religion in the fact that the Bible wasn’t divinely inspired therefore couldn’t only be interpreted individually for oneself. The early 1800’s also gave birth to Transcendentalism. This movement focused on individualism, our innate goodness, and the ability to transcend limits. All three movements heavily influenced the culture’s political, literary, and philosophical realms. Henry David Thoreau was born into the 19th century where his writing on social issues portrayed the Transcendentalists and Romantic Movements.
As the Europeans began to migrate to their new land, they found themselves in awe over the vastness, wild, and unfamiliar territory. In 1607, the first colony landed …show more content…
July 1846, Thoreau refused to pay taxes that would pay for the American-Mexican War and slavery. He is fully aware of the reality that he can’t change the government or “change the nature of the rocks and trees and beasts,” yet he does believe he can successfully resist the State to prove a point. He isn’t anti-government, in fact he writes, “I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better